Love Found, Friendship Lost
by Kaiba Seto Lover
Summary: A fic inspired by the works of Beverly, a fellow fanfic authoress here on ff.net. 'Nuff said without giving it away =P R+R! 3rd chapter is up!
1. Default Chapter

Love Found, Friendship Lost.

A/N: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!… If I did then there'd be a few changes. But oh well… All I own right now are the Kaiba and Yugi Decks and hopefully soon the Jounouchi and Pegasus Decks. Beware! This fic has Yaoi-pairings in it. If you don't like Yaoi then I'd suggest you read another fic. Tissue Alert in later chapters! Some material here was inspired by Beverly, so don't flame me please! R+R if you want!

Yaoi-pairings: Ryou/Bakura, Yami/Yugi and Malik/Marik.

Non-Yaoi pairings: Jounouchi/Mai, Anzu/Honda, Seto/Junsui and Mokuba/Shizuka.

Genre: Romance/Angst/Tragedy/AU.

Time-Setting: 3 Years after Battle City.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

|…| = Malik.

||…|| = Marik.

"…" = Speech.

'…' = Thought

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Day: Saturday

Time: 12:08 a.m.

Malik's POV:

            I watch curiously as Marik walked into my bedroom. He'd been acting distant lately, it was like he had something to tell me but couldn't find a way to form the words for it. Strange, that the both of us would act like this, after all that has happened. Don't get me wrong, I loved the challenges that were presented to us when Seto Kaiba had that Battle City Tournament and trying to rid him of the Egyptian God card Ishizu gave him. It rightfully belonged to Marik and I, didn't it?. And the challenges while trying to get the Millennium Puzzle from Yugi Mutou. But none of that seemed to matter anymore. They didn't seem to even match what had been left unsaid these past days. It's just… Marik hardly looks me in the eyes anymore. Is he ashamed of what had conspired in the Tournaments? Could something be wrong with my other half?

Or could it be what Yugi and Yami said? That Marik and I don't see what is really important? I didn't understand why that would matter when they said those words, but it struck me just now that what they were talking about was love. But love for what? I think I know. Love for Marik is what they were talking about.

Marik, my Marik, please tell me what is on your mind so I can ease your pain. It hurts me to not be able to help. I always helped you when we were seeking the Egyptian God card, didn't I? I've always been here to soothe your anger, heal your sadness and calm your fear, right? True everything we did was for a corrupted reason but there was nothing we couldn't do if we set our minds to it. I loved it when you praised me for the help I gave you. Can't you see me anymore? Can't you tell me what is wrong? I pray you'll let me know soon. I pray it can be solved. It would kill me if we were never to speak our minds so openly ever again. If only we could get past this fear the both of us are so wrapped up in.

Marik's POV:

            I could see Malik was curious as I came into his room, as it was far and between that I ever entered his privacy so openly anymore. Of late the words Yami and Yugi said to us have been eating at me from within as I try to understand their meanings with no clear answers. It was always like the Pharaoh to talk in cryptic terms outside duels, but I didn't think his Hikari could have thought the same way. Could it have been what they were saying, that should really hold my attention so rapt? Could it have been that they were talking about my love for Malik and vice versa? I wonder, as I try find out through veiled eyes, if that were the case. I couldn't really be able to find the right way to express how much I care about Malik. I can think of what I want to say and how to say it. But it never comes out, if at all, in speech or our mental link.

            I look into his face, those features that mirror my own to a certain extent were beautiful in the moonlight spilling forth from the window. But in those same features there was a longing and a sadness I couldn't place. Why can't I tell my own Hikari how I feel? Why does Ra have to torture me so? I never thought that I could love someone as much as I love Malik. Love so strong and fine as the most delicate crystal was surely within my capabilities. That was what had been gnawing at my very essence. If there was no alike feelings expressed from my Hikari, then what?. And right now it struck me that this was my fear. Fear of rejection from the very person I shared an existence with. He had released me from the Millennium Rod and gave back my life and purpose. And in the same he holds my heart so rightfully captured in his hands.

It was, or should be, that easy right? But if that were true, why do I still clam up whenever he asks me what is wrong? Osiris, please don't let me endure this torture anymore. It would be so much easier if he could tell me what is on his mind, even if it were for naught. Guess it would come as a surprise that even I, Marik Ishtar, am afraid of something that, to many, would seem so trivial and childish. Such is the curse with being locked away for a Millennia in the Rod. But I cannot deny this, not even if it weren't true. Ishizu would ridicule me for the rest of the millennia if she found out. Ishizu would do the same to Malik. Knowing her, she would never let us live it down.

Something wet and warm trickled down my right cheek. I raised my hand to wipe at it and looked to what it was that stained my bronze skin. A tear? Why? Why is Tefmet punishing me with her power now? But it could not be undone. I then dropped to my knees in front of Malik and grasped his hands in my own. I could see it in his eyes. Hidden emotions finally reaching the surface. A small smile had found its way to my lips.

||Is this truly what love feels like…?||

|If it is, then I pray it will never cease|

3rd Person POV:

            Malik rubbed his Yami's back comfortingly, running those fingers over the inscription tattoos that marked his smooth skin. He could feel Marik tremble with each caressing touch. 'Oh my yami, what have we done to each other?' Malik thought as he held his darkness closer.

With a swift, fluid movement he brought his hand to Marik's chin and brought it up so they could look each other in the eye. Those soft lavender orbs held uncertainty but realized what was to come. As the two closed their eyes their lips touched and arms encircled each other more closely. This continued on until darkness consumed the room as the moon sank into the western horizon and out of view. Everything changed from darkness and gloom outside, but in the room the emotion stayed just the same.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Time: 6:34 a.m. same day.

Ryou's POV:

            The grass under my form was still wet when Bakura got to his feet and stretched that thin yet strong body of his. A few years ago we'd never seen eye-to-eye on anything. Now, he was finally opening up to me. I can't help but wonder what this change means. But as those wondering thoughts had their roots, so did my love for my yami. He beated me to a bloody pulp every now and then those years ago. But lately it seems as though he's having an internal dilemma.

            The morning sun feels so good. So good after a night of tears, pain and another attempted suicide. But that was not uncommon. Bakura seems to have gotten used to saving me from myself. Who would have thought that a hikari would try such dark intentions? But it could not be denied. The past was done and can't be averted.

-End-


	2. Confusion at School A harsh reality for ...

A/N: Do I have to say it? I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh… And as the chapters go on I will not say that again…

Jun: Kawaii so far… Malik and Marik together, that part was sugoi…

Authoress: Yes, but aren't you and Salyria upset that I didn't pair you two with Yami and Yugi and have you keep the Millennium Staff?

Salyria: I've got no qualms…

Jun: Me neither… ::shrugs:: New experiences are needed I guess…

Authoress: Thank you ^_^

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[…] = Ryou.

[[…]] = Bakura.

/…/ = Yugi.

//…// = Yami.

"…" = Speech.

'…' = Thought

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Day: Monday.

Time: 7:00 a.m.

Bakura's POV:

            I listen to the sensei talk while sitting in my soul room in the Millennium Ring. Ryou had said she was talking about the next day's assignments but I caught hint of something in that soft and innocent voice of his. What could it be? Could it be reflection on all the times Id beaten him nearly to death? Could it have been that he was getting ill? I pray to Ra that isn't so. Yeah, who'd have thought that I, the infamous tomb robber, would develop feelings for my Hikari? Not entirely new to me. I'd been getting soft because I care about Ryou. If anything were to happen to him… Ra forbid it…

            [[Ryou…? Is something wrong? Have I said something to upset you?]] I asked anxiously.

            [No… I'm okay… Just thinking of things…] he said with a mental smile.

            That only made me more worried. He never had so much on his mind before… Could it have been what conspired Friday night? When I came into his room, comforted him and stopped him from attempting suicide again? I didn't realize it until just now that that was the case. My sweet Hikari… is that really what is wrong…?

Ryou's POV:

            I listened to the sensei with as much attention I could give her. But my mind kept wandering to things that were unimportant to school. What if Bakura had been trying to keep me from killing myself so he could get the other Millennium Items again? But what if it was done out of his heart and not head? Thank God class was over now… Yugi looked to me with a worried look. I know he knows what I'm going through…

            "Ryou, is there anything Yami and I can do?" He asked as we went to our next class.

            "I don't know, Yugi… There's things I still have yet to sort out with Bakura… Thank you for being concerned though." I said as I smiled cheerfully at him.

It was a façade… everything I'd done lately was just that… a façade to hide behind… For how long can I keep this up? I pray it will not be needed anymore.

Yugi's POV:

            I looked at Ryou worriedly. I know he's having a hard time trying to express his feelings for Bakura. I too was going through the same situation… I always have this nagging fear that Yami is with Anzu and they are going out… Please don't let it be true, Yami.

            //Yugi, is there something you want to talk about?// Yami said as he watched me from in my soul room. I had almost forgotten I had let him be there today.

            /No… just… Ryou and Bakura are having trouble expressing their feelings to each other… and…/ I trailed off, not certain if Yami knew what I was going to say.

            //Would it be better if I talked to Bakura?//

            /I guess… There was something I wanted to ask you…/

            That caught his interest, he sat straight in attention on the bed in my soul room.

            //What is it my hikari?//

            /I was wondering if… you and Anzu were… dating…/ I said carefully, making sure I didn't break down in tears; not being able to tell him how I feel about him when she liked him.

            //Anzu…? No. She's just a friend… Why?//

            My heart leapt in joy and relief.

            /No reason… just curious. Since it had become obvious that she liked you…/

            He laughed a bit at that. I wondered what that was about?

            //Anzu and Honda are dating. I wouldn't want to break up their relationship even if I wanted to//

            /Then there is a chance…/ I trailed off as I mulled through the many possibilities of how I could tell him how much I care about him.

3rd Person POV:

            Yugi and Ryou went separate ways as they headed off to their next class. Yugi was certain he could win Yami's love. But the question had become: How?

-End-


	3. A desperate love, a nightmare comes back

A/N: Wow… am I that bad at writing shounen-ai fics? R+R this please! 

Salyria: Stupid mortals…::crosses her arms and glares ice-daggers at everyone who doesn't review this fic::

Jun: ::was too busy drooling over a picture of Seto:: *_*

Salyria: -_-;;; Jun-chan… you need to get your mind off that boi…

Jun: Seto-san… 3_3

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*…* = Jun.

**…** = Salyria.

[…] = Ryou.

[[…]] = Bakura.

/…/ = Yugi.

//…// = Yami.

"…" = Speech.

'…' = Thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Day: Friday.

Time: 4:00 p.m.

Jun's POV:

            Something was going on…

            I saw Yugi and Ryou talking in hushed voices—as they walked in Seto's and my direction—from where I sat with Seto's arms around me, curiosity burned in my mind, clawing at me, urging me to go find out what was going on…'What are those two boys talking about…?'

            "Konnichi'wa Yugi-kun, Ryou-kun… What's going on…?" I asked in a curious voice.

            "Konnichi'wa Junsui-chan." Yugi said cheerfully with a friendly smile.

            "Hai, konnichi'wa." Ryou mimicked him.

            'Now I _know_ something's going on!'

            "Where is Bakura-san?" Seto asked before placing his head on top of mine.

            "He's with Yami… talking about something…" Ryou said in a timid voice as he fiddled with the Sennen Ring that hung around his neck on a thick rope.

            "Ryou-kun… you two are having a communications problem, aren't you?" I said in a calm and soothing tone to make sure he knew I was worried.

            A blush masked his cheeks as he nodded truthfully.

            "And you two thought it was best that Yami-san talked to him about it, ne?" I said.

            **What's going on out there Jun-chan…?**

            *Ryou-kun and Bakura-san are having trouble getting their feelings across to each other*

            Salyria fully woke up after that, she had been asleep in her soul room in the Sennen Anklet.

            **Let me talk to Ryou-kun, help him straighten things out…**

            I relayed Salyria's message to the others and Ryou blanched.

            "Okay… Let her talk…" Ryou said.

            With a glowing eye on my forehead and the Sennen Anklet glowing, I let Salyria take over…

Salyria's POV:

            I opened my eyes and was in Jun's body, but with my hair and eyes. It was strange, being in Seto's arms… It was Jun's rightful place, not my own…

            "So you two are falling hard but don't know how to get your messages across, ne?" I asked in a quizzical tone.

            "Hai…"Ryou said in a tone that made my heart wrench.

            I was truly worried now. For as long as I've known Bakura—which is a very long time—he's always been able to tell the person he loves how he feels. Why the sudden change?

            "It's not like him to hide things from me… We always told each other what was on our minds…" Ryou said in a pained voice.

            I slipped out of Seto's grip and hugged Ryou. His form was trembling from fear and sadness. 'Oh dear sweet Ryou-kun… Gomen nasai…' I had to find Bakura and tell him about Ryou soon…

            "Onegai… Salyria-chan… Please help…" Ryou said in a hushed voice.

            "I will do the best I can, Ryou-kun." I whispered to him. "I promise…"

            My heart wept for him. It was too much for him to have to go through this every day… I have a mission now… and it's time I get on it!

Yami's POV:

            How can a millennia-old tomb robber be so stubborn?! Here I am, wasting my time that could be spent on Yugi-chan and telling him how I feel about him. And now Bakura won't even tell me what is wrong?! It is in times like these that I wonder if Ra is punishing me…

            "Dammit Bakura! Ryou is waiting for you to tell him how you feel about him. And you're sitting here feeling sorry for yourself?!" I snapped at him, not really watching what I was saying.

But Ra dammit! Bakura should know better! He should know how much his hikari loves him. I shouldn't even have to be here to tell him! But what can I do? I have to help him… Yugi-chan made me promise to help…

            "I know, Pharaoh… I've been going over this countless times now…" He snarled. "Do you think I don't know this?! Shouldn't you be worrying over your Hikari…?"

            "I promised Yugi-chan I would help you and Ryou open up to each other." I replied coolly.

            "Then it is a promise kept for naught…" He said as he started to walk away.

            But he wasn't able to walk far. Salyria blocked his path.

            "Ra damn it, Bakura-san… Why do you have to be so blind?" She said in an exasperated tone as she crossed her arms.

            "Blind? What do you mean by that?" He asked her with an annoyed look on his face, cold brown eyes glaring at her as she stared back with the unbridled anger of a hurricane.

            "Ryou-kun is near tears because he doesn't know how you feel about him! And what are you doing right now? Chatting idly with Pharaoh Yami!" She spat.

            That struck home. He knew Ryou was having a hard time sleeping lately. But he didn't know he was causing his hikari this much pain by being afraid. I could see it in his eyes, an internal struggle for control, even though he didn't seem to realize that I was staring at him.

            "Bakura-san…_tell_ him. Telling him how you feel about him will end the misery and start the relief and joy." I said in a firm voice.

            "I will…" he said in a resolute voice.

3rd Person POV:

            The three went back to where the others were, Bakura held his head up high and strode determinedly to Ryou. But once he got there, he froze again. Salyria nudged him from behind and motioned for him to speak his mind to Ryou.

            "Ryou-chan…" He started nervously.

            "Hai Bakura-san…?" Ryou said in an uncertain tone, deep in those chocolate orbs there was a raw and unhealed pain that nearly made Bakura break down in tears.

He hugged his hikari close and let the tears fall. For the first time in many millennia Bakura cried as he held Ryou close.

[Ai shiteru, Bakura-chan…]

[[Ai shiteru, Ryou-chan, my koi…]]

And for once in too long a time their lips met and they let go of their pains and fears…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Day: Saturday.

Time: 6:00 a.m.

Yugi's POV:

            I woke up to a cold sweat and tears streaming down my face.

            It was the same nightmare… That same horrific nightmare that haunts me every night…

            Only now it seemed more vivid, more clear. It had more details than any dream I've ever experienced. I've been having this one for over four years now… I never mentioned anything about it to Yami-san because I was afraid he'd get too worried over me… That he would send me to a psychiatrist…

            I'm very much afraid of if this nightmare will happen… or not…

            Maybe I should show you what happened… In fact I think I will…

Nightmare:

            Yugi was standing in the city square, preparing for a duel when the sky turned dark and just as he took a step back Saint Dragon God of Osiris, Sun Dragon God of Ra and God of Obelisk appeared in front of him. The three Egyptian God cards were there in front of him with no duelist commanding them!

            "Yugi Mutou…" Sun Dragon God of Ra said in a voice that sounded exactly like Yami's, "You have broken the laws by which bind you as holder of the Millennium Puzzle…"

            "…And now you must face punishment. Let the one who shall carry it out come forward!" Saint Dragon God of Osiris finished Sun Dragon God of Ra's sentence.

            "Wait! There must be a mistake! I wasn't aware that there were laws for the Millennium Items!" Yugi said just as a figure dressed in what had been the Ghouls' purple robes with the Millennium Eye symbol on the hood.

            The figure then pulled back the hood and revealed himself to be none other than…

            "Yami-chan!" Yugi cried. "Please don't do this to me!"

            "It is by the will of the Gods that I must, aibou…" Yami said with a saddened look on his face.

            "If you love me then please don't carry out their punishment!" Yugi was in tears now, his hope slipping farther and farther away from his fingers, "Please…! Ai shiteru!!"

            Tears formed and misted Yami's eyes as he hugged Yugi. But then just as quickly they turned to malice as he sent a gold-hilted, jewel encrusted dagger into the young man's back, twisting it ever so painfully deeper until it pierced his heart.

            /Yami-chan…? Naze…? Naze?!/

            //My duty has been fulfilled… I no longer need you…//

Yugi's POV:

            Now do you see why I fear the nightmare so? I suppose it would come as a surprise… I never really meant to be a burden to Yami-chan…never meant to be a pain. Why can't he see that I need him so? I pray he will find out soon before this nightmare eats away at me even more. Yami-chan, can't you see how much I need you?

Yami's POV:

            I had sat by Yugi's bed watching him sleep before the clock struck 5:55 a.m. He was having a nightmare again… And from the way he was reacting to it, it had to be the same one he's been having for a long time…

            It pains me not to be able to protect him in his dreams or nightmares. To not be able o sense them coming or if they are reoccurrences… Why hasn't Osiris taken me to the Underworld yet…? I can't bear to watch my hikari suffer that nightmare anymore. I will have to find a way to protect him from it. There has to be a way, hasn't there?

            He will be waking up soon… Then he won't be able to look me in the eye because he thinks I cannot know what happened. I hate not being able to help him. It's like my hands are tied behind my back whenever he needs me. It seems funny… that I, Pharaoh Yami, can't even tell my hikari how much he means to me.

            He started to stir… I quickly got to my feet because I knew what was to happen next, it happens every night… my hikari… I went out of the room and to the kitchen to get a glass of water, knowing he would need one when he fully woke up.

3rd Person POV:

            Yugi wiped the tears from his eyes just as Yami came in with a glass of water. The young man sat there with a plaintive look on his face as he fidgeted with the bed sheets that covered the lower half of his torso. Yami could tell he was afraid to speak to him and keep from crying. It nearly broke his heart to see his hikari in such excruciating pain. 

-End Chapter-

A/N: Nice cliffhanger, ne? Find out what happens in the next chapter ^_^

Translations:

Onegai = Please.

Ai shiteru = I love you.

Naze = Why


End file.
